Alberta Coal Mine Spills Contaminated Waters Into River

Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Residents along the Athabasca River,
which flows through the oil sands region of Alberta, are being
advised to avoid drinking from the waterway after contaminated
fluids were released from a coal mine storage pond.

The warning was issued after an undetermined amount of
water and sediment, including shale and coal particles, spilled
from Obed Mountain Mine near Hinton into the river, the Alberta
Environment Ministry said in an e-mailed statement.

The mine west of Edmonton where the open-pit breach
occurred is owned by Toronto-based Sherritt International Corp.
Gretchen Gordon, a Sherritt spokeswoman, had no immediate
comment when contacted by phone and e-mail.

Communities notified of the incident on Nov. 1 have not
been drawing water from the river as most nearby don’t use it
for drinking though residents were cautioned they’d see a change
in color in the Athabasca as the sediment moves downstream, the
ministry said. Farmers were also asked not to let livestock
drink from the river until full water-sampling test results are
known.

The ministry and Alberta Energy Regulator are conducting
independent investigations into the environmental and health
impacts of the incident and release of contaminants into the
river, Jessica Potter, a spokeswoman for the ministry, said
today in a phone interview.

The Athabasca flows northeasterly from Columbia Glacier in
Jasper National Park in western Alberta for about 1,200
kilometers (750 miles). Coal contributes about 40 percent of
Alberta’s electricity generation.